People may find arguments about semantics silly, but they are important. Just take a look at the whole brouhaha about evolution just being a theory: a large part of that whole disconnect stems from two meanings of the word "theory" that are not synonyms but are still very close. This is exactly the problem we want to avoid with "theft"--calling copying theft says as little about it as calling evolution a theory.

That is, there is either the proper meaning in context (e.g. infringing copyright) which does not mesh with the common definition or there is the common definition (depriving somebody of property) which does not mesh with the context. People framing copyright infringement as "theft" want to take advantage of emotional connotations of the word in much the same way as people capitalizing on the fact that evolution is "just a theory".

>more observing the disconnect between the argument ("it doesn't hurt anyone") and the tone ("but DON'T call it stealing!!")

I don't think anyone is claiming it doesn't hurt anyone (if everyone did it... etc), rather protesting against the fact that the copyright maximalist lobby has campaigned, with great success, to conflate two unrelated crimes in people's minds. (I'm not even going to touch the whole 'piracy' thing) I don't know about you, but I hate seeing people be played for fools.

Copyright infringement and stealing have about as much to do with each other as speeding and vehicular manslaughter.

I like the word "pirate". Everybody understands its meaning. Its not confused with the unlawfull appropiation of somebody's property ( stealing ), but it does have a negative connotation.

Was that supposed to be a joke? Piracy is robbery at sea - ie stealing by force using a boat.

It's like calling bullying 'murder'.

Check a recent dictionary. Take it up with Princeton if you don't like the definition:

* (pirate) copy illegally; of published material

* (pirate) someone who robs at sea or plunders the land from the sea without having a commission from any sovereign nation

* (pirate) commandeer: take arbitrarily or by force; "The Cubans commandeered the plane and flew it to Miami"

The parents point was that it is not confused with 'stealing' though. Whilst, as you and I both noted it in fact means stealing (well robbing).

Copyright infringement is just that, or 'unlawful copying' if you're afraid of longer words.

Except it also means, as per pretty much every dictionary, to copy unlawfully. The same cannot be said of theft/stealing.

So if a headline refers to, let's say, 'Somali pirates' you disavow any confusion in the scope of activity in which the subjects are engaged?

In which case you rely on the context (you know, like you have to do with every other ambiguity in English ^^)

Considering how often Somalian criminals have been hijacking ships, and how this has been covered on pretty much every media form, I don't think there will be any confusion on this matter anytime soon.

Also, the verb form (Someone is pirating something) is in my experience almost exclusively used for copyright infringement. I've never heard of pirates pirating a shipment, but I've heard plenty of pirates pirating music.